A New Place to Call 'Home'
by Woahnessness
Summary: Upon returning to Tibet, Jericho is attacked and forced to go underground. When he finds an ideal home, in one of the oddest of places, he investigates his attack. But, is he prepared for the true plot behind it? JeriKole, possible Flinx.
1. Oh Where Have the Mountains Gone?

**A/N: Hello. I just wanted to let you know, this is my first _Teen Titans_ fanfic, so if any of the characters are out-of-character, please let me know and I apologize in advance. So, this takes place after the battle of the Brotherhood of Evil. This will also have _alot_ of JeriKole (My favorite _Teen Titans_ couple), and maybe some Flinx if I can find a way to tastefully put either of them in the story. This will obviously take place in the cartoon universe, because I don't particularly _like_ the comics (Especially since they killed off Kole). Also, most of this chapter takes place in Jericho's home in Tibet, I just want you to know that I have _never_ been to or seen Tibet, so I do not know the geographical features in the area. All I know is that Jericho lives on a rther beautiful summit in Tibet. So, I hope you like it.**

**The first and possibly second chapter will mainly focus around Jericho, just an FYI.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Teen Titans._**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Oh Where, Oh Where Have the Mountains Gone?<strong>

Jericho walked along dirt path, fiddling with the strap of his guitar. He had been walking for about a half an hour now, working his way to the top of his summit to spend the remainder of the day at rest with the sunshine beating down on his face and that warm feeling surrounding him, and maybe strum a few chords, depending on the time got to the top. Sure it was a two-day walk, but he was surely used to it by now, how else would he get food from the market in the small village that surrounded his large mountain?

Jericho always enjoyed his walks down this path, he could wave a hello to all of the locals he saw on his trail, or he could just simply enjoy the lively scenery, whether it be in the folks in the town or all the wildlife that was part of the community. He loved the wildlife, they were part of the reason he lives secluded on the top of the mountain. He also enjoyed the company of the people of the village, even though he could not fully speak to them.

But, he was not venturing home because he simply wanted to visit. He was going home after battling the Brotherhood of Evil, along with the Titans, and his fellow Honorary Titans. It was a long battle, but the Titans triumphed over the Brotherhood of Evil, and all is right once again.

After the battle, the Honorary Titans stayed at the Titans West's Tower for almost two weeks, not only for saftey reasons but to celebrate their victory. Although, Jericho wasn't all that social with all the Titans, not only because he was incapable of speech, but because he was too... shy... if that's the proper term. It's not that he didn't _like _talking to people, he just seemed pefer his own company rather than the company of others. He did, in a sense, socialized with a few people. Let's see, he remembered having a brief conversation with Starfire, although she _did_ use a lot of Tamaranean words that he was not familiar with, and he simply nodded most of the time. Starfire was a sweet girl, but rather strange.

Jericho also remembered socializing with Beast Boy a few times, and Jericho appreciated that he did his best to try and understand sign language, but he eventually had to start writing things down on a piece of notebook paper. They shared a few laughs with their times together, most of them were because Beast Boy started various agruements with Cyborg. Beast Boy was nice, and smarter than he seemed, despite his immense immaturity.

He took a liking to Raven, the two had socialized many times during Jericho's time in the tower. He assumed she took a liking to him, she's never told him otherwise. He wasn't that surprised when he found out that Raven knew sign language, he could tell she was an extremely bright girl.

The only time he didn't find her pleasant was when Argent and Bumblebee tried to play match-maker with Raven and Beast Boy, but little did they know is that Raven had grudgingly agreed to help Starfire play match-maker with Argent and Hot Spot. When Raven and Argent found out about the other's plan is when all _hell_ broke loose. Raven and Argent fighting each other on the roof of the tower, with Bumblebee siding with Argent and Starfire siding with Raven. Even though Starfire didn't wish to fight, and tried to covince them of something else, no one listened to her, so she grudgingly agreed to side with Raven. It was a battle with a few bruises, a missing tooth, and a nose almost broken. No one spoke much that night.

Raven and Argent decided to never discuss that matter again the next day, and made amends for the sake of their fellow Titan's safety, much to everyone's relief.

He also remember talking another girl, Kole. Jericho took a liking to her, as she did with him. They also socialized throughout the two weeks, she vaguely understood sign language, but at least she knew the basics. They shared a lot of laughs, Kole was very easy to amuse. He listened intently as Kole explained her past and how she befriended G'narrk after he had rescued her from a few dinosaurs, although G'narrk was uneasy near her at first, which was completely understandable. When Kole asked about his past, he refused to tell her. She kept asking, though Jericho did his best to try and avoid the subject until she gave up trying. Jericho found Kole rather interesting, and very eccentric.

Jericho ponder through the mostly happy memories he had at Titans Tower and he smiled to himself. In fact, Jericho was so absorbed in his memories, he failed to see what was right in front of him, and he collided with a tree. Jericho fell to the ground, and quickly looked around to see if anyone witnessed the embarrassing collision. When he saw no one, he got up, dusted himself off, and continued on his path.

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><p>The next day, Jericho knelt down into the small pond, splashed his face with water a few times to keep himself awake, and kept moving. It was early morning, and Jericho had just woken up from his long rest along his two day trip. As the Titans could not use their jet, as it had been damged while battling the Brotherhood of Evil, and Herald had already left before Jericho could ask him to take him home, but he didn't mind walking.<p>

Jericho smiled when he saw the familiar meadow in sight, he broke into a run. Once he made it, he immediately lied down, his legs burning from the eternal walk up the mountain. He breathed heavily from the tiring run. He ran his fingers through the soft grass and feel the sunshine beaming down on his face and a familiar warmness surrounded him. He was home.

Once he had relaxed, and his legs stopped aching, he took out his guitar and started strumming softly. He closed his eyes, peaceful and content, and leaned against a rock. Even a few small animals stopped to hear him play the beautiful melody, even though he didn't notice them gather around. All of these melodies he knew by heart, most of them have a happy or loving meaning to them. But, he did know a few tragedies; the few he liked, that is.

Jericho spent the rest of the hour playing his most favorite melodies; it gave a warm, loving feeling inside him. Not even Jericho could explain his immense love for music, he just _did_, it had always been that way. He loved how each song had a different meaning, how each song was unique, but most of all he loved the sound.

He opened his eyes and smiled at the pristine, cloudless sky. He set his guitar on the rock and grabbed the brown paper bag he got at the market the day before, and pulled out a red, crisp apple. Taking a bite out of the apple, he stood up and walked over to a nearby tree. He climbed up a branch, disappeared into the blanket of leaves, and came back down with a few nuts which he had kept hidden there. He ate them all before he sat back down against the rock.

A few hours went by, then Jericho noticed that the sun had began to set. He let out a silent yawn and laid on his side. He let himself think peacefully; he thought about playing his music in the sunlight, being surrounded by nature. He brought up the happiest memory, being with his friends, the Teen Titans and his fellow honorary Titans. Remembering the day that Starfire had abruptly volunteered an unwilling, shy, nervous-as-heck Jericho to play his guitar in front of _every _single Titan, who, by the end of the performance, uproared in applause followed by a standing ovation. Jericho didn't think that his face could turn anymore red than it had that day.

He remembered being with Beast Boy, who had always made him laugh from his outragous arguements with Cyborg, he also laugh at how _unfunny _his jokes were, though he still let Beast Boy think he was funny. He also recalled Beast Boy convincing Starfire that he spoke French, only to be caught in the act when she asked him to demonstrate the language the next day.

He thought about Raven, how she taught him a spell, albeit a beginner's spell, but still a spell. This spell filled any container with water, which came in handy during his two day trip. He thought about her helping him meditate, and be more at peace with himself and the world around him. She complinmented his work on the guitar after his nervous performance (Courtesy of Starfire). He couldn't remember exactly what she had said, though he did remember trying to hide his blush from her with his hand. Though, he tried not to bring up her and Starfire's fight with Argent and Bumblebee.

Then, he remembered the other girl he had took a liking to. Kole. He remembered how she asked for an encore of his performance on the roof, this time with just her. For a moment, he thought she had asked him to serenade her, but quickly shook the thought from his head. He was glad Kole loved his music enough to listen to a piece with just him and her. He remembered Kole's exact words on his performance. They were:

_"That was _so _amazing, Jericho! I haven't heard music like that in while! You have a serious talent! Is it possible for you to make a CD? Hey, you're pretty cute when you blush!"_

Then he remembered even more heat making it's way to his cheeks and a girlish giggle come from the pink-haired girl. Then he heard Kid Flash, who was near the two at the time, mumble something. He could vaguely hear the words _'Those two'_ and _'Too clueless to figure it out'_. He could not hear what they were apperently clueless about.

He relayed them in his mind: _Starfire, performance, Beast Boy, Raven, Kole. Kole..._ were the last words in his mind before he drifted into sleep.

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><p>Jericho's eyes snapped open, he stood up shakily. Not because he just woke up, but because the <em>ground<em> itself was shaking. It was still dark, he had only been alseep for a few hours. He looked around, one part of the mountain started to crumble. Jericho looked around, ready to battle anything that was thrown at him. The ground was now shaking rapidly and violently, he was almost knocked off his feet. Then, it appeared.

Springing out of the ground, a large, worm-like creature roared at Jericho. It's body streched higher than any of the trees in the once calm meadow. Shiny and slippery, it's skin was coated black, with a purple pigment lining it's back. The creature roared at Jericho, it's circle-shaped mouth filled with moving teeth sharper than blades.

The creature was about to eat Jericho, but he jumped out of it's was for the monster to miss and get a mouthful of dirt. It dove underground once more, leaving a startled Jericho to wonder where it was. It wormed out of the ground once more, this time milimeters away from Jericho, only to have it's tail caught under a large boulder. He took the time to think of a way to try and get on it's back so that he could look in it's eyes as the creature thrashed violently to get free. Jericho was about ready to try this strategy, when he heard the familiar blow of a horn. He turned to the direction of the noise, and gave a great smile when he saw Herald step out of one of his portals.

Herald smiled back at Jericho and said, "Ready Jericho?"

Jericho nodded with a confident look, and turn back to the worm, who had managed to get free from the boulder. Herald blew his horn to make a large portal directly under the worm. It fell inside.

Herald turned to Jericho, "Jericho, this thing's quick, you have to be ready get on it's back as soon as it lands, or you'll miss your chance. Got it?"

Jericho nodded, then Herald blew his horn once more and made a portal about seven feet in the air, close so that Jericho could quickly get on it's back. It landed with a boom, and Jericho quickly got on it's back. Getting on it's back proved difficult, as the worm wouldn't stop rapidly thrashing, but he managed to grab hold. He was ready to make eye contact, but, he studied the worm intently as it thrashed, only to make a horrible discovery.

Jericho hopped off the creature. He noticed Herald gave him a confused glance while dodging the worm's whip-like tail.

_'It has no eyes.'_ Jericho signed to him. Despite the fact that he was fighting a giant worm, Herald understood what he had signed. This caused Herald to worry about Jericho's safety, since his power was rendered useless to the creature, and his only other weapon was a guitar. Herald had to think fast, then had an idea. He ran over to Jericho and said:

"Jericho, you have to go!" He said to the mute mountain boy.

Jericho looked startled for a moment, then signed, _'I'm not leaving without you!'_

Herald didn't respond, he blew his horn and push Jericho through the portal that had appeard.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think so far.<strong>

**R&R Please.**


	2. Utopia' Doesn't Mean 'Paradise'

**Thanks to those who reviewed, I appreciate the advice and feedback :). I will allow no spoilers for this chapter, so, on that note I stop talking.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Teen Titans_ or its characters. (Do I need a disclaimer in every single chapter?)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: "Utopia" Doesn't Mean "Paradise"<strong>

Jericho warily lifted his head from the ground, shaking away the dirt that had managed to embed themselves in his hair. His vision was slightly blurred from his watering eyes, as the dirt and mud stung at them every time he blinked. He rolled his eyes with irritation and lifted his shaky arm to rub his eyes. He looked up once again, and saw that he was surrounded by unfamiliar plants and insects. Jericho squinted to get a better view of them.

Jericho let out a silent sigh and decided to pick himself up off the ground, he got hold of a nearby tree and wobbly stood on the large roots that seemed to pop out of the ground. Very suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head and closed his eyes tight. He moved one hand from the tree and grabbed his head where it hurt, as if it would make the pain stop.

He opened his eyes, and with a pained look took a step forward, only for the same unbearable pain to instantaneously run through his leg. He gasped and bit his lip. Then, taking a deep breath, he swallowed his pain and kept walking. Or, in this case, limping.

After a few moments, his leg got used to the pressure and the pain gradually stopped. He was able to walk normally once again, and he let out a sigh of relief. He started to get a better look at his surroundings, the plants were rather large, as were the insects, and the air was quite humid, almost giving a tropical feel to it. He had yet to see any signs of civilization, nor any signs of animals.

Jericho couldn't help but wonder why Herald sent him here, of all places. There were no people or any space suitable for living, not even temporarily. He was sure there was a reason Herald had decided he would be better off here, while his beloved home in the mountains was under attack. The memory of the attack made Jericho worry about Herald's well being. He couldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to Herald while protecting him.

Jericho shook the thought from his head, of course Herald was alright, he's Herald! He could easily defend himself in any situation, and he could stop a worm-like creature just as swiftly, he has taken down far worse than that.

While Jericho was lost in his own thoughts, he was subconsciously slowing his pace, allowing him to observe his surroundings more carefully. He saw that the insects were not only unfamiliar, but quite bizarre. Jericho was awestruck at the beautiful, multi-colored flowers. He was so enchanted by this beautiful world that he failed to see the vines right in front of him. Startled, he closed his eyes tight and thrashed his arms around, as if trying to scare away a supposed threat.

He cautiously opened his eyes, and saw that the object he was afraid of was a mere plant, covered in white Hawaiian-looking flowers. He smiled softly at the grace of the plant as the vines danced in the humid air. Jericho gently plucked one of the flowers from the vine and it greeted him with the savory smell of delicious honey, he inhaled it's sweet scent. He put the flower in his golden belt, giving him a glimpse of hope.

As he walked, he noticed the trail that had been treading was starting to get more narrow with every step. Jericho didn't know if the path would last for much longer, as it was starting to become littered with with dead leaves, and the remains of squished bugs.

At this point the path was barely visible, the pile of dead leaves was becoming deeper, like heavy winter snow. Jericho took wide steps as he treaded over the ever-growing mounds of leaves, tripping over every one. As he crushed leaves and twigs under him, he heard a faint sound to his left. He stilled and cupped his left ear. Making a face, Jericho tried to identify the sound, then his lips curled into a small smile. The sound he had been hearing in the distance was running water.

Jericho didn't hesitate, he ran toward the sound of the tantalizing water that would satisfy his dry throat. Narrowly dodging trees and flying insects, he ignored the sharp pain that returned to his legs due to running. Between the thick trees, he saw a glimpse of shining blue, and seemed like it was moving. His smile widened at the sight, and he ran harder and faster.

Jericho became oblivious to the world around him because he was too entirely focused on the thought of refreshing, cool water, that he scraped his torso on a low branch of one of the trees. He fell to his knees on impact. He winced in pain, then looked down at his scraped chest. Jericho's eyes widened at the sight, surprised to find the branch had cut through both his tunic and shirt. The now peeled skin on his chest clung to the lightly bleeding scrape that trickled down the rest of his tunic.

He let out a silent groan of annoyance, then looked up to what was in front of him. He saw the crystal clear water of a running stream, barely a yard away. Jericho smiled, clumsily standing up and darted toward the fresh water creek. He looked down to see his reflection smiling like a mad man.

He didn't even use his hands, he stuck his head in the pristine water, gulping it down as if he hadn't drank in days. The water tingled as it cooled his face. Jericho shot his head out of the water, taking deep breaths as he shook the water from his wet hair.

He continued to breath deeply and put a hand on his chest, forgetting about his previous wound. He grimaced, quickly removing his hand from his scraped chest. He looked down at the blood on his hand, then at his chest. The blood seeped through his tunic, though there wasn't much of it. Jericho sighed silently, then bending over to get some water from the stream. After many attempts to get a handful, he splashed some water on his wound. It hurt at first, but eventually gave him relief of the pain, and cleaned the blood from his tunic and chest.

Then, Jericho heard and unfamiliar noise, it almost sounded like a hiss. He looked around suspiciously, then shrugged it off and continued to clean his wound. His head snapped up when he heard the noise once more, but it sounded closer this time, almost right behind him. His heart pounded, he wondered what was making the wretched hiss. His head flew in all directions, trying to locate the source; but while the sound was heard again no being was there to claim it.

But this time, instead of a hiss, he heard a small beeping sound. Jericho looked down at his belt, then was shocked to see his communicator still in his belt. He pondered on how he couldn't have noticed it before, then pulled it from his belt and flipped it open. He smiled warmly when he saw Herald appear on the screen.

"Jericho, you okay?" Herald asked the blonde musician.

Jericho nodded, relieved to see Herald was alright.

"Sorry for pushing' you earlier."

Jericho waved it off, implying he didn't mind.

"Good. So, did you find-" In a flash, the communicator was whipped out of his hand and it flew over into the stream. It shorted out upon contact with the water. Jericho watched helplessly as he watched the soaked communicator floated down the riverbed.

He was stricken with horror when he heard the hissing sound he had been hearing before. This time, feeling a hot breath down his neck, accompanied with the stench of rotting flesh. He turned slowly, and looked up to see a massive reptile looking down at him with blood thirsty, yellow eyes.

He stared up in awe at the reptile's face with his mouth agape, his gaze never leaving it's yellow eyes. The creature before him was unlike anything he had ever seen, it was taller than any normal reptile, being at least two feet tall than him. It's rough scales could be mistaken for coasters. The long claws shooting out of it's fingers could rip through forests.

The reptile growled, hunger gleaming in it's eyes. It snarled at him, showing it's rather large teeth, it's rotten breath stinging his scent. Jericho grimaced in disgust, trying to remember the savory scent of honey that came off the flower he had put in his belt.

The reptile hissed it's trademark hiss at Jericho; not only interrupting him from his thoughts, but also made him realize the danger he was truly in. His heart started beating rapidly, his breaths became shallow.

It hissed once more, then with one swing of it's tail, Jericho was knocked into the cold river. He resurfaced gasping for breath, then stared at the reptile with wide eyes. It hissed forcefully, blowing Jericho's blonde hair back. With a mighty leap, the reptile jump into the river, and was once again face-to-face with the mute teen.

Jericho froze, looking over his shoulder at the edge of the riverbank, a mere two feet away. Taking the risk, Jericho looked back up at the reptile, then darted for the edge of the river. He stumbled onto the edge, but when he looked up, he looked straight in the eyes of the reptile. Confused, Jericho looked back, and saw the reptile from before charging right at him. His eyes widened, knowing he was now just a mere tug-of-war toy for two dinosaurs.

He saw the dinosaur flashing it's teeth, a low growl forming in the back of it's throat. It's jaws opened wide, hissing before slowly sinking it's sharp teeth into Jericho's shoulder.

Jericho let out a silent, pained scream. He closed his eyes tightly as the dinosaur thrashed it's head violently, almost ripping Jericho's flesh right off his shoulder. He heard a cracking sound, and felt an agonizing pain spread all throughout his right arm. He started thrashing his arms, and started hitting the dinosaur in it's large nose. This only aggravated the dinosaur even more, it sunk it's teeth even deeper into his flesh.

Suddenly, the same agony filled his lower torso. He closed his eyes even tighter, he whimpered. Looking down at his stomach region, he saw that the dinosaur from before had finally caught up with him, and was seething with rage. It thrashed brutally, trying to tear him apart. Blood flowed through the river, he knew he was loosing blood rapidly, and he would eventually dry out.

He felt the other dinosaur drag him out of the river, hissing at the dinosaur nipping at his lower body region, who hissed back. One pulled on Jericho's arm, pulling him toward the vast amount of trees. The other sunk it's teeth into his leg and dragged back over to the ice cold river. Back and forth, one pulled him to a different side.

Jericho's vision was fading, black spots appeared in his vision. He felt weaker as his breaths became slower. Tears of anguish blurred his vision, as the pain became unbearable, he felt himself going numb. Jericho never thought he would end up alone in an unknown world, being ripped apart piece by piece by an exotic animal.

He kept telling himself he wouldn't survive, loosing any hope of escaping the reptiles' grasp.

But, as he drifted out of consciousness, he saw something pink lunge at the one of the dinosaurs.

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><p><strong>I don't write good near-death scenes DX<strong>

**R&R Please  
><strong>


	3. No One Said Pain Was Pleasure

It happened every now and again, he would awaken for a few seconds, only to be knocked right back out from all the consuming pain in his abdomen and shoulder. He felt pain spread every time he tried to stir, but to him this was a good thing, he knows he is alive.

Though, he noticed a few things as he continued to doze in and out of consciousness. The first time it happened, he heard voices, voices that seemed hardly familiar. The second time, he felt someone pat him on the head. Just by the simple pat, he could tell the hand was masculine, and that the person was wearing gloves. He also saw a glimpse of blue before slipping back to sleep. The third time, he felt heat on his face, and when he opened his eyes he was met with a bright, almost neon, light that seemed to flicker in different directions. That quick pang of light was enough to send his brain into an uproar, pounding against his skull as if it were trying to break free and run away from the brightness.

Now, his eyes are practically screaming behind his eyelids, screaming for him to let them see. He didn't want to wake up, then he would feel the pain again. Pain that was only covered up as he slept. It almost made him wish he were dead, at least in death you feel nothing but sweet escape. Waking up with two gaping holes in his body was unlike anything he experienced, it was like a small creature was slowly eating away at his insides, and was just getting bigger and bigger as it spread.

Jericho grudgingly opened his eyes, his shoulder burning when he attempted to sit up. Frustrated, he threw off the thick, animal skinned blanket and dropped it to the ground. As he sat straight, his abdomen ached even worse than before. He winced and held his side, it was then when he noticed the bandages around his torso that bore a large, dark red spot near the side.

Jericho also noticed that he was not wearing his traditional garb, but he was sporting only a pair of loose gray pants. He licked his chapped lips and took a deep breath, trying to soothe his severe heart burn. As if there were enough things wrong with me, he thought with immense irritation, trying to build up the courage to try and stand. All he was capable of doing was stare at his dirty feet.

He closed his eyes tight and took in a deep breath. He grabbed onto the wooden headboard of the bed for support. As quick as a child would rip off a band aid, he hoisted himself to his feet. His legs wobbled uncontrollably and he thumped back onto the rickety bed almost instantly. He flopped on his back, his feet still at the cold floor. His frustration was worked out into a defeated sigh. His stomach felt like someone was lighting fire in him, as if his stomach were a boiling pot of stew.

Jericho wiped the salty sweat that stung his eyes from his brow. He stared vacantly to the ceiling, taking the time to wonder exactly where he was. He craned his neck towards the left, to be greeted with a black-green wall. Then, turning his attention to the right, he saw a poorly crafted, wooden dresser. He saw a few things cluttered at the top, sloppily placed-presumably empty- turtle shells.

Not wanting to feel this helpless and weak, he grabbed the headboard behind his head and once again sat up straight. His thoughts almost making the twinge in his torso and shoulder seem to lessen.

Sucking in a breath, he tried to stand again, but this time doing a much better job at keeping his balance. Frantically sticking his arms out to the side and bending his knees slightly helped him from collapsing face first into the ground. After keeping his stance for a few moments, he straightened his legs, but keeping his arms in a cautious position. He relaxed his arms when his legs felt fully capable of standing.

The corner of Jericho's lips formed a small, slightly triumphant smile. He looked back up at the small dresser, and despite his accomplishment he frowned at the disastrous mess at the top. He steadily took a step forward, and started stacking the empty turtle shells on top of each other. He mused at, no matter how horrible he felt on the inside, he was still being the neat freak that he, and others, proclaimed him to be.

Once he finished stacking the turtle shells and shoved them in the top left corner of the dresser, he looked toward the disorganized mounds of hollowed out of-what looked like-fruit. They had creamy substance inside each one, every cream being a different color. Since each one contain something, Jericho decided not to stack them, but place them neatly in rows.

Wow, he thought, I _am_ a neat freak.

Jericho dropped one of the fruits when he heard a gasp. He turned, and saw a short girl standing in the doorway. She nearly dropped the home made tray at the sight of him. Thinking that this might be her room, he took a step back from the dresser with his hands behind his back and cheeks turning a faint pink. He could barely make out her face, she was standing in the shadow of the doorway.

Jericho held up his hands, to try and at least gesture something. However, immediately after he moved his arms, she ran. He desperately wanted to yell "Wait! Stop! I'm not going to hurt you!" He wished he could've said that to her. I wish I could say anything period, he thought. His next impulse was to run after her, and just pray that she'll eventually stop running.

However, this was easier said than done. Instead of running, he walked slowly with a slight limp. Mentally cursing himself, he straightened himself up and calmly walked, knowing that she probably wouldn't be there anymore. Jericho made it down the hallway in the direction she ran with ease, now there was one major blocking his path.

The stairs.

He looked down the seemingly massive stairwell. Jericho knew that it most likely was not as big as his mind played it out to be, but it was only his injury getting to his head that made it seem huge. The worst part is, it had no railing. He did not want to add a broken arm on his list of injuries, he felt bad enough already. He tried to look confident as he tried to cling to the leafy wall and shakily put one foot on the first step.

The step creaked a bit under the weight of his foot, creaking even more when he was finally confident enough to put his other foot on it. He closed his eyes tight, expecting one of the worst of falls. When he felt no movement, he opened his eyes and uneasily step on the second step, a bit quicker this time. By the third, he built up the strength to make it down the steps. Slowly, but surely, Jericho finally made it to the final step.

It was then when Jericho noticed people talking in, what he presumed was, the living area. He didn't quite hear what was said, but a feminine voice sound overly annoyed. He peered around the corner and was surprised to see Herald giving a girl a very unconvinced look. He peaked a little more. Not only was Herald there, but so were all five of the original Titans. They all seemed to be giving this girl a hard time.

He tried to lean in, to see if he could hear what was being said. Unbeknownst to him, he was leaning in a little too far. He ended up falling, using his arms to same him from a very painful face plant on the ground. The sudden weight on his shoulder making it twinge even harder. His face twisted into an aggravated scowl he mainly directed to the floor. He tiredly, and grudgingly, lifted his head. What he saw were the Titans, Herald and the girl staring at him, looking too shocked to move from their seats.

Well, the girl did not seem that shocked. In fact, she seemed quite pleased by his unexpected arrival. "I_ told_ you he was awake!" She said to the other titans with a slight smirk. She must have been the girl who ran from him earlier.

"Yes, you have indeed told us." said by none other than Starfire, who was now giving Jericho a rather vacant stare. It became silent after that, the room filled with sheepish smiles and awkward stares. Jericho observed them, wishing he could just pop into their minds and see what they were thinking.

Beast Boy, he stiffly looked around the room with drooped ears. After his eyes landed on Jericho, he forced his face into a wry smile. "Uh, hey... dude," He said awkwardly, "you're up... early..." Jericho realized he was still on the floor after Beast Boy offered him a hand. He gratefully took it, and he hauled the boy to his unsteady feet. Then, Jericho thought about what he had said. Early? He though he had been asleep for hours.

Robin, seeing Jericho's questioning look, added, "Cyborg said you weren't supposed to wake up for two whole days."

"And, judging by the position of the sun, you were only asleep for ten hours." The girl put in, confusion visible in her large, blue eyes. Blue eyes that seemed strangely familiar to him.

Two days? His injuries were that severe? They hurt with the burning passion of a thousand suns, but he didn't know they were that horrifying. He looked down at the big red spot on his bandages. Looking down at it, it looked big enough to be the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. Looking at it, it reminded him of the full pain he was truly in. His eyes were now closed, and his teeth clenched tight. He would have fallen to his knees if Raven and Herald had not kept him steady.

"Kole, go get those berries to numb him." Robin ordered to the girl.

The girl, Kole, nodded and jumped out of the house to find what she was looking for. Now he remembered the girl, Kole. He hardly recognized her in this low lighting.

The sharp feeling in his shoulder diverted him from his thoughts. Seeing his pain, Cyborg stood and helped Jericho into a chair. He gave the half robot a thankful look, to which he nodded with a smile. Jericho sighed as the consuming feeling lessened. He heard an upset moan from his right, he opened his eyes and looked up at Starfire.

"It greatly upsets me to see you this way, friend. I wish there was something we could do about the way you are feeling..." Starfire told him, visibly upset about her friend's current condition. He beamed at her hospitality, and sympathy. Smiles are always contagious, especially to Starfire, so she could not help but smile back at him. He looked at the other Titans, and saw that Herald behind Robin, face full of guilt.

Jericho knew why Herald was upset with himself, but he also knew that he should not feel guilty about his friend's current state. Jericho had no one to blame for the attack, and certainly not his best friend. He raised his arm and reached it out towards Herald. He turned sadly over to his damaged friend, slightly musing at the innocent smile on his face.

Herald sighed, "I'm... I'm sorry, Jericho... I..." Jericho stopped his friend in mid-sentence. His hypnotizing green eyes read forgiveness. His sad smile read "It's not your fault". Herald wanted to believe his unspoken message, yet something urged him to think he was still to blame. He gave a grin that he hoped passed for convincing.

Jericho, though still not fully convinced, smiled back, yet still had a look in his eyes that said "We'll talk later".

There were some loud crashing noises, followed by Kole bouncing her way back into the living area. She handed the crushed berries over to Robin, who gave them to Raven, who walked away with them to work on them.

Things were quiet until Raven came back holding a sickly green liquid in a half shell. Jericho made a disgusted face at the sight of it, knowing that it was either going to end up on him or in him. Her face remained expressionless as she handed the turtle shell to Jericho, "Drink it." She instructed.

Jericho, closing his eyes tightly, gulped it down fast, getting some of it on his chest. He shuddered and his eyes remained closed. He nearly gagged.

"It should take effect in a few minutes." Raven added. He nodded to her.

Robin stepped forward, and sat next to the injured titan, and gave a sympathetic smile and a pat on the back. Jericho emitted a small smile.

A low beeping noise tore through the air. Everyone turned their attention to Cyborg, who looked down on his robotic arm as if he were checking a watch. Robin stood and peaked over the metallic man's shoulder, the latter gave a cocky grin.

"Looks like we've got trouble." He said, now resting his arm to his side. Robin was about to call out to the other titans and spring into action, then his eyes rested on the mute musician. Starfire also noticed this.

"Are you sure it is wise to leave our friend here in such a state?" She said, making a few hand gestures. Kole looked up and gave a perky smile.

"Don't worry, me and Gnarrk will make sure he crosses the full road to recovery!" Gnarrk felt a bit uneasy about this titan, this stranger, into their Utopian world. He did not like people he did not know invading his space; or, even worse, getting more attention from the crystalline girl. However, Kole, being the sweet and hospitable person she is, was fully intent on the idea of this boy staying here, but knew of the consequences of forcing Gnarrk to live with him.

Robin was a bit hesitant, and Gnarrk was getting a bit hopeful that he would say no,"... Alright, he can stay. But, we're gonna come by every once and awhile, to check up on his condition." The caveman's hopes dashed.

The antenna-ed girl gave a wide smile, "No problem!"

Everything was silent, before Raven chimed in, "We should probably take care of all the commotion down in Jump City now."

Beast Boy suddenly appeared behind her, "Right! Herald, give us a hand?"

Herald nodded, before bringing his horn to his lips. The tune made a large hole in mid air, leading a way to the city. All of the original five titans hopped in the portal after they gave their goodbyes. Herald looked back before he fully went inside, he gave a smile to his friends, who happily returned it.

Now the room was quiet, none of the teens new what to say, or sign, next. Kole crossed her arms, took in a deep breath, and said, "So, we should probably get you cleaned up. Gnarrk and I will take you down to the falls, no dinosaurs go there, and all of the bugs aren't _that_ big."

The mountain guitarist nodded, and tried to stand. The pain that had seemed to be dull when he launch into conversation, sharpened a bit, but nowhere near as bad as it was before. Suddenly, he felt something, albeit roughly, grab his shoulders. It hurt, but he did not wince, or even jump, because his confusion masked it. Next thing he knew, he was in the caveman's arms, and was being carried outside of the tree house. A giggling girl followed.

* * *

><p>The trip to the falls was not that long, only about a ten-minute walk, but was a bit uncomfortable. Jericho was afraid to shift himself into a comfortable position, he knew that Gnarrk was fully capable of snapping him like a twig, and a glint in his eyes said that he really wanted to. Kole just merrily walked, skipped, andor jogged behind them, he could not tell which.

Gnarrk gently put Jericho on his feet. He wobbled a bit, but still managed to stay upright. Kole popped up behind Gnarrk's shoulder, hopped off, and landed just inches in front of the mountain boy.

"You can use this to wash. It may not smell that nice, but it works." She gave him a half coconut filled with a syrup-like substance. He took it, then nodded to the both in thanks. The duo nodded in return.

Jericho started shifting, and looking around awkwardly. This confused the girl at first, then she came to a realization. Her face flushed.

"Oh! right, we should probably give you some privacy. C'mon Gnarrk." The caveman turned and Kole followed. She was not used to privacy. Whenever she came to the falls, Gnarrk was always somewhere in the trees, keeping an eye out for anything that dare try and hurt her. He was not spying on her, she knew, he was just trying to protect her. Keep her out of harm's way. She still could not help but feel self conscious whenever she bathed and showered in the powerful rapids.

Just before she was out of sight, she looked back over her shoulder at the boy. He was now undressing, she blushed. She immediately scolded herself and turned away when the boy was starting to remove his pants. Once she was out of earshot, she erupted into a fit of giggles, earning questioning looks from her prehistoric friend.


End file.
